


Life's A Mess

by DressTheSage



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Family Angst, He says mean shit about Marianne so Ingrid tears him apart cus fuck him, Ingrid's dad is a homophobe and transphobe, Leonie is autistic I will die on this hill, Marianne is Trans and Valid, She is also a Herbo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:08:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27414016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DressTheSage/pseuds/DressTheSage
Summary: “Oh goddess, we’re late!” Ingrid muttered as the three of them dashed down the sidewalk from the parking garage toward the restaurant.“Love, take a breath.” Marianne tried to assure her, brushing some dust from the shoulder of Ingrid’s sea foam green sweater that was over her blouse as they waited for a crosswalk to signal them to go. Marianne has left her attire, including her pencil skirt and tights on from her day at work. Meanwhile, Ingrid had replaced her uniform from the diner with a simple blouse and dress pants.“Yeah, babe. We’re gonna be fine. A little traffic could happen to anyone.” Leonie tried to add. She had cleaned up surprisingly quickly, with her hair neatly combed and tied back so that you almost couldn’t tell it was a mullet. Almost. Her baggy flannel and cargo pants were replaced with an orange blouse with black slacks, which Ingrid was astounded she even owned, along with a black vest that she was adamant about not buttoning.“Yes, but you don’t know my parents, they are going to skewer me alive for this.” Ingrid stammered as they began walking again.“Then we’ll tell them to get fucked!” Leonie tried to assure.“Oh goddess.” Ingrid whines as she rubs her temples.
Relationships: Ingrid Brandl Galatea/Marianne Von Edmund/Leonie Pinelli, Marianne von Edmund/Ingrid Brandl Galatea, Marianne von Edmund/Leonie Pinelli, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11
Collections: FE3H Polyship Week





	Life's A Mess

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This is my first entry into a fandom event type of thing, for day 5 of FETH Polyship week: Family / Cuddling / Firsts. I'm very excited, and hope you all enjoy! If you do, I might recommend checking out some of my other works, as I love writing polyship content. Also, there's no smut in this chapter, but the second chapter will have smut, so that's the reason for the rating how it is.
> 
> Happy Poly-ing!

There’s a small breeze in the air as Ingrid crawls out of her rusted-beyond-all-reason sedan, and even with the heavy work shirt and jacket she’s wearing over her grease-stained slacks and polo shirt, she still feels the chill of it run her through like a dagger. Wasn’t Leonie always talking about how great leather and flannel were for the cold? How did she even wear this stuff on her bike? She must be freezing all the time. 

Ingrid supposed that must explain why she was always trying to press her freezing cold feet into her back when they were getting into bed, or maybe she just enjoyed laughing at how loud she yelped every time it happened. Then again, Leonie was quite a bit bulkier than her, both in the arms and in the chest, so even with her own overshirt under Leonie’s jacket, it didn’t fit quite as snuggly on Ingrid as it did her. Maybe that was a part of it. But, she hadn’t been able to find her jacket that morning, so it had to do. 

Ingrid shook her head and marched through the heavy snow to the cramped little two bedroom apartment she had called home for the better part of the past two years, ever since… well she’d rather not think about that, she was stressed enough as is. The apartment was two stories, with the two bedrooms and main bathroom on the second floor and the first occupied mostly by the livingroom and the kitchen, which at that very moment held Marianne, caught mid-drink out of a small cup as she cooked at the stove. 

“Ingrid! I’m glad you’re home.” Marianna said over the rim of her glass, flipping something on the pan atop the stove in front of her as she set her cup down. “Come here?” Marianne asked with a hesitant lilt, waving her forward. Ingrid was happy to obey, walking up behind the woman and wrapping her arms around Marianne’s midsection, the oil-black of her jacket brushing against Marianne’s soft blue cardigan and the white of her blouse, only to vanish in the black of Marianne’s pencil skirt. 

“Hey honey, what are you cooking? I thought dinner was taken care of tonight.” Ingrid mumbled into Marianne’s shoulder as she leaned down and pressed a kiss into the base of her neck, just above her collar. 

“It is, but Leonie’s been in the garage all day, and you know how she gets when she’s hyper fixating on her bikes. She’s barely eaten so I wanted her to eat something before we left, so she isn’t ravenous when we get to the restaurant.” Marianne said, leaning back into Ingrid’s embrace and placing a soft peck on her cheek. “How are you? You look…” 

“Like hell?” Ingrid offered. 

“I was going to say tired.” 

“It’s the same difference. But I’m fine, just a long day at work and I’m worried the night won’t be much shorter.” Ingrid said, and she felt Marianne shift, realizing only once it was done that she was turning around, soon enough wapping Ingrid in her own hug. Ingrid let herself sink into the decadence of her partner’s kind embrace, and smiled as she caught the faintest hint of the lilac perfume she’d gotten her for christmas last year, she only ever wore it for special occasions. 

“I’m sorry sweetheart. Was it just a bad shift?” 

“No, well, yes. Sylvain was sick, and so It was just me and Dorothea running the main dining area while Raphael was running the kitchen. So we were running around all morning, and then we ended up having some crazy woman ranting about finding a hair in her soup only for it to be her hair, and obviously so too. I mean, the hair was green, for the goddess’s sake and she was the only woman in the building with green hair. How did she possibly think that was going to work?! And then the grill went out right before lunch, so it was just a disaster.” 

“Oh my, it certainly does sound like a bad day.” Marianne leaned back, placing a peck on Ingrid’s forehead and loosening her hug enough to look Ingrid in the eye. “But don’t worry, tonight is going to be much better.” 

“I envy your optimism.” Ingrid said as she let Marianne turn back to the pan. 

“It’s not optimism. Just the fact that no matter how tonight goes, we’ll get to spend the last chunk of it curled up together, and I know that always makes you happy.” Marianne teased, the faintest of blushes on her cheeks. 

“That’s very true. But, enough about me, how was your day?” Marianne shrugged. 

“It was fine. The library was busy with all the kids getting ready for winter break, so I was up on my feet a bit more then I’d like, but it wasn’t all bad. Bernadetta brought in her and Helena’s daughter. She’s an absolute cutie, and it just made my day.” Marianne said gleefully. 

“Helena?” 

“Yes, you know… her wife?” Marianne offered.

“I thought she was going by Huberta?” 

“Oh no, she quit that almost a year ago. She said it was just too close to her deadname, and it felt tacky.” Marianne explained. “It’s not that uncommon for trans women to change their name more than once. I went through almost 4 different names before finally settling on Marianne.” 

“Ha, well, I think that you made a good choice. It’s a very pretty name, for a very pretty lady.” Ingrid said, and she could feel the eye-roll Marianne gave her as much as she could feel Marianne’s cheek heat up, so close to her own. 

“Try and sweet talk me all you want, but you made me promise not to let you back out of tonight’s dinner, and I keep my promises.” 

“I’m aware, that’s why I asked you to do it, and why I’m regretting it now.” Ingrid grumbled. 

“Well, do me a favor and stow the regret for a few minutes, and take this out to Leonie so I can finish getting ready. I want to shave my face and redo my makeup or else I'll be anxious about it all night.” 

“Honey, you look fine.” Ingrid tried to reassure as she felt the plate slam into her stomach, Marianne already walking to the stairs. 

“Yes,” She began over her shoulder. “But this is the first time I’m meeting your parents, I don’t want their first impression to be just ‘fine’. Now get that to leonie before it cools! Love you!” Marianne said, disappearing in the stairwell. 

“Love you too.” Ingrid said. “And believe me, you’re not the one i’m worried about. Neither of you are.” Ingrid mumbled, taking a bite of the sandwich on the plate as she made her way to the door leading out to the garage, opening it and feeling the blast of frigid cold and the bass of the speakers blaring before she actually heard them. 

“oh preeeeeety angeeeels, swinging from your caaaables, I fear, my dear, the end is near. So run run run run run like a son of a gun!” Leonie badly sang along to the track currently assaulting Ingrid’s eardrums, none the wiser as some ungodly powertool sprang to life doing goddess-knew-what to one of Leonie’s ‘precious babies’.

“Woah, watch the language there.” Leonie teased, making Leonie look over her shoulder. Ingrid could see it was in fact her red cafe racer, ‘Cherry’, that was getting the frankenstein treatment that evening. Ingrid saw Leonie was in her standard ‘shop clothes’; A pair of torn, baggy cargo pants with half the pockets filled to bursting with socket wrenches, screwdrivers, allen wrenches and other tools, and an oil-soaked tank top under an equally filthy flannel that was left completely unbuttoned, leaving the worn wooden charm hanging around her neck to dangle while her dirty orange hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. 

“Hey babygirl! What did you say?” Leonie shouted over the music. 

“I said watch your language!” Ingrid tried to shout. 

“What?!” Leonie tried to clerify, still not hearing her. 

“I said watch you… oh for Pete’s sake” Finally, Leonie just gave up, walking over and pushing the off button on the stereo system, or more precisely the ungodly large bluetooth speaker Leonie’s phone was sitting on top of. “I said Marianne made you a sandwich, and you should eat quickly and get ready for dinner. You look filthy.” 

“Oh, sweet!” Leonie said, walking over and giving Ingrid an oil-smeared kiss on her cheek before grabbing the sandwich from the plate and taking a bite, shoveling almost half the snack into her mouth at once. “Thanks baby. And don’t worry, I’ve got like, an two and a half hours left on this project, tops, and I can get that done and ready with plenty of time to spare.” Leonie said with confidence. 

“Lee, our reservation is in an hour and a half.” 

“Uh… what?” Leonie asked with significantly less confidence.

“It’s five right now, our dinner reservation is at half past six.” 

“Oh… fuck.” Leonie said, taking another bite from the sandwich. “Well, lemme knock this out real quick, and I’ll go get cleaned up and dressed.” Leonie finished her point by finishing said sandwich. It was equal parts horrifying and fascinating to Ingrid just how much and just how quickly Leonie could eat. 

“Ok, just hurry. I still need to shower from work.” Ingrid said, and from the second she finished her sentence to when she saw the evil glint in Leonie’s eye she knew exactly where this was going. 

“I mean, you’re more than welcome to join me in the shower if you want to.” Leonie offered, taking a step forward and hooking her own arms around Ingrid’s waist, placing a kiss on her lips. 

“Oh, please Casanova, spare me. I’m too stressed to even think about anything like that right now.” Ingrid groaned, but made no attempt to move as Leonie’s flirty embrace turned into a simple hug. 

“Ok then. Just thought I’d offer.” Leonie gave her a squeeze, and Ingrid felt a pop in her back that, honestly, felt very nice. “But don’t worry, babydoll. I think tonight is going to be a lot better than you expect.” 

“I just… I just want things to go well, or at least better than last time.” 

“I know baby, but it’ll work out. No matter what, we’ll be right here for you, however the chips fall.” 

“... Promise?” Inrgid asked, a bit more genuine then she’d intended. 

“If I’m lying, may every bike in this shop fall apart and crush me in the wreckage.” Leonie said, stepping back and spreading her arms wide for dramatic effect, making Leonie roll her eyes and laugh. 

“You could have just said yes, you dork.” Ingrid said, pushing her partner back just a bit. 

“Yeah, but I mean, where’s the fun in that?” 

“Oh, just go get ready before I grab the dish soap and garden hose and clean you up myself.” Ingrid said, moving back toward the house. 

“Hey, don’t threaten me with a good time.” 

“Oh goddess, we’re late!” Ingrid muttered as the three of them dashed down the sidewalk from the parking garage toward the restaurant. 

“Love, take a breath.” Marianne tried to assure her, brushing some dust from the shoulder of Ingrid’s sea foam green sweater that was over her blouse as they waited for a crosswalk to signal them to go. Marianne has left her attire, including her pencil skirt and tights on from her day at work. Meanwhile, Ingrid had replaced her uniform from the diner with a simple blouse and dress pants. 

“Yeah, babe. We’re gonna be fine. A little traffic could happen to anyone.” Leonie tried to add. She had cleaned up surprisingly quickly, with her hair neatly combed and tied back so that you almost couldn’t tell it was a mullet. Almost. Her baggy flannel and cargo pants were replaced with an orange blouse with black slacks, which Ingrid was astounded she even owned, along with a black vest that she was adamant about not buttoning. 

“Yes, but you don’t know my parents, they are going to skewer me alive for this.” Ingrid stammered as they began walking again. 

“Then we’ll tell them to get fucked!” Leonie tried to assure.

“Oh goddess.” Ingrid whines as she rubs her temples.

“My love that isn’t helping.” Marianne whispered to Leonie before turning back to Ingrid. “Sweetheart, please just breathe and try to not have a heart attack before we even get seated. 

“Oh... ok.” Ingrid said, taking a deep breath. 

“That’s my girl.” Leonie said, clapping Ingrid on the shoulder and kissing her on the cheek before walking and grabbing the door to the restaurant, holding it open for Marianne and Ingrid both. Another moment, and a quick confirmation with the woman at the front, and they were escorted to a table set with three chairs, two of which were occupied by Ingrid’s parents, while one sat open. 

“Ingrid, it’s wonderful to see you.” Ingrid’s mother said, standing from her chair and walking forward, wrapping her in a hug that was not returned. The resemblance between the two was uncanny, sharp chins and soft jaws flowing into blonde hair and blue eyes. But in comparison to Ingrid’s clothing her family’s wealth was evident in the tailored dress that her mother wore. 

“Oh, um, hi mom.” Ingrid stammered out, trying not to sound like a complete idiot.

“Ingrid.” Her father, a balding man in a suit that looked more expensive than it was said without standing. “I didn’t realize you were bringing... friends.”

“Robert, hush.” Ingrid’s mother said, slapping his arm. “I’m sure we can find someone to go fetch us a pair of…” Ingrid’s mother was cut off, as Leonie was already walking from a neighboring table, 2 unused chairs from it now in her hands as she set then on the same side as the other empty chair, apparently unaware or perhaps just paying no mind to the stares, glares, and agape mouths from several of patrons, including Ingrid’s parents.

Goddess, Ingrid wanted to just vanish more than anything else in that moment, but a gentle nudge and reassuring smile from Marianne, and Ingrid felt herself grow just a bit more confident, stepping forward as Leonie pulled the chair directly across from her parents out, and as she sat in it scooting her up to the table. Marianne took the seat to her right, and Leonie to her left. Knowingly or not, they'd turned themselves into a small wall between her and her parents, which she utterly, desperately needed. 

“So, Ingrid, I believe introductions are in order. Wouldn’t you agree, Robert dear?” Ingrid’s mother asked in a rather pitiful attempt at starting some conversation. 

“Not in the slightest.” Robert said, only to get a firm elbow in his side from his wife. “I mean… oh for heaven’s sake, fine.” 

“Well, um, this is Leonie Pinelli, and Marianne Von Edmund.” Ingrid said, gesturing to each partner in kind. Marianne and Ingrid’s mother exchanged a pleasant handshake.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Lady Galatea.” Marianne said.

“Oh please, dear, the name is Alicia.”

Ingrid looked over, and saw Leonie awkwardly holding out her own hand, which her father seemed happy to ignore. 

“Robert, as I'm sure you’ve gathered.” Ingrid’s father said, fidgeting a bit in his seat. 

“So, what do you both do?” Alicia asked both women to either side of her daughter. 

“Oh, well I’m a librarian. I mostly work from the downtown branch but I get assigned all over the place when there’s need.” Marianne’s voice cracked and dropped a bit, her nerves beginning to show as she blushed and quit talking. Ingrid reached under the table, taking Marianne’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze of reassurance. 

“Well, isn’t that...sweet.” Alicia said, trying to move on, but it was clear Ingrid’s father had noticed her voice as much as her mother had. “And what about you, miss Pinelli?” 

“Oh, I’m a mechanic. I run a shop just outside of town with a few others.” 

“Hmmm, Pinnelli… you wouldn’t happen to be the proprietor of Pinelli Motorworks, would you?” Ingrid’s father asked, and just from his tone alone she wanted to scream. He was in ‘business mode’ now. 

“Well, sort of. My family opened the shop a few decades back, but a few years ago me and a few friends pitched in to buy it from my uncle, and we split the profit off our work among us each month. Everyone works, and even if one of us has a bad month, we all know that we’ll be able to cover our bills.” Leonie said, with the same pride in her voice she always did when Ingrid heard her talk about the garage, a pride that was only matched by the withering glare from her father. 

“Well that seems like quite the way to go nowhere quickly.” He said under his breath, and Ingrid saw Leonie’s face switch between confused, to insulted, to just plain mad, but it was clear she intended to bite her tongue. 

Ingrid, however, was not going to be so accommodating. 

“I’d appreciate it if you’d not insult something that clearly means a great deal to her right to her face, or at all.” Ingrid said with an even keel to her voice that very much did not match the churn in her gut that accompanied the challenge. 

“I said nothing to insult, it’s just plain that a model like that isn’t going to make any real money over time.” Robert tried to protest. 

“From you, that’s about as low an insult as one could receive.” Ingrid said, feeling Marianne shift in her seat, clearly uncomfortable with the budding argument. 

“Now, let’s all try and calm down.” Alicia chimed in, desperation creeping into the corners of her voice. 

“I… I agree, I think it might be best if-” Marianne began only to be cut off. 

“Now, Alicia don’t you but in to a conversation that doesn’t involve you. And the same goes to you young man.” Robert said, glare centered on Marianne. Ingrid’s fist smashed into the table as Leonie’s chair was flung back by her standing up, both of them with rage in their eyes, but the damage was already done. Ingrid saw the tears on her dear sweet Annie’s cheeks as she moved to leave. Ingrid felt her upper lip twitch between a deadpan and some sort of half-snarl, as she moved to stand as well. “Now where in the hell do you think you’re-” 

“Wherever I damn well please, and as far away from you as I and my partners can get.” Ingrid’s words were glass laid over a hurricane, even and flat but barely holding in the broiling storm that Ingrid felt rushing back after so many months of finally being calmed. They stormed out of the restaurant, and it was nearly two blocks before Ingrid’s father finally caught up with them, winded as he was. 

“Are you insane, young lady?!” He shouted between huffed breaths. 

“Robert, calm yourself. You’ve done enough.” Alicia tried to interject. 

“I’ve done enough?! She’s the one who caused the scene in the middle of the restaurant. Do you have any idea the damage something like that little stunt could do to our family’s reputation?” Robert spat. Had Ingrid not been holding Marianne’s hand, it’s likely she’d have knocked him into the nearest wall. Instead, she simply settled for shouting. 

“It would be absolutely nothing you haven’t earned you egotistical bastard!” 

“Excuse me, young-” 

“No, excuse me! I wasn’t done speaking.” Ingrid snapped, cutting her father off. “You haven’t changed a bit, I cut you out for nearly two goddess-damned years and you still never learned a thing. I gave you the benefit of the doubt, and you still couldn’t go thirty seconds without insulting two of the most important people to me. No, no, the most important people to me.” 

“Ingrid, quit being melodramatic and quiet down, this is no place to-” 

“You made this the place, just like you made our home the place two years ago, when my saying I wasn’t going to keep looking at your damned suitors was such an insult and that it was either that or leave, and I fucking left! Guess what, leaving was the best decision I ever made. Being a waitress for the rest of my life would be a damn fine cost to bear if it meant I never had to listen to you try and sell me to some man just so you could use my marriage as a business deal. I don’t know how loudly I need to declare this before you get it through your skull, but I’m never, ever, going to marry a man, period.” 

“Ingrid, what are you trying to say?” Her father asked, with the ‘be careful how you answer this’ left unsaid, but clear in its implication. 

What did Ingrid care? She’d lived without their money for years now, and the last two years had been some of the happiest of her life, without either of them in it. Ingrid gestured to her and Marianne’s intertwined hands, her look as equally exhausted with her father’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge it as her mother. 

“These women? The both of them whom you’ve done literally nothing but insult since you’ve met them? They’re my partners, my girlfriends, whatever in the hell you want to call them. These two women-” Ingrid stressed the last word with enough venom to kill a kobra. “Are the absolute loves of my life, and yes I mean that in the exact way you think, you bullheaded jackass! If you need it said plainer: I’m gay, you dumb bastard!” 

“Oh for the goddess’s sake, if you just wanted to make a scene, you ought not have even come tonight. We both know you’ve liked men plenty in the past. You liked Glenn, and that was barely a matter of years ago.” Ingrid’s father tried to protest. 

“Robert, what are you hoping to-” Alicia tried to interject, only to be cut off by Ingrid, again. 

“That was nearly a decade ago, you senile old fuck! I was 15 when you put that together! Glenn was 22 and you made it clear there wasn’t any choice for me in the matter. Glenn dying was the best fucking thing to happen to me, just after actually cutting you out, which I never should have gone back on. Lose my phone number, forget I exist, and go rot in the fucking ground where you belong you decrepit old corpse!” Ingrid screamed, turning on her heel and storming off toward the parking garage. At the same time, Robert seemed to storm off in the exact opposite direction, leaving Leonie and Alicia alone in the stretch of concrete they’d been occupying. 

“I…” Alicia began, looking between the two storming-away Galateas. 

“Well that could’ve gone fucking better.” Leonie muttered, running her hands down her face, sighing a heavy breath of the chilled winter-night air. 

“I won’t argue with that.” Alicia said, rubbing her temples. “I thought that maybe he could just keep his mouth shut for long enough that I could actually get to see how she’d been doing, but of course not. I should’ve never asked Ingrid to this.” 

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I’m the idiot who suggested she actually take you up on the offer.”

“... Why?” Alicia asked, suspicious. 

“I uh… Damnit, I had my reasons.” Alicia’s glare made it clear that wasn’t going to be a sufficient answer. “Ok, ok, I guess I’m just old fashioned. I wanted to make a good impression on the both of you and try and snag a minute to ask about… oh for fuck’s sake.” Leonie groaned, reaching inside her vest and producing a small white box, the top cover adorned with a heart cut into three separate pieces. Leonie popped the box open, and within it were three small silver rings each with two jems, one had an orange and blue jem, the next had blue and seafoam green, and the last had orange and seafoam.

“Oh, they’re lovely!” Alicia said, a hand to her chest as she looked at the rings. “You…” 

“Yeah. Your hubby was right about one thing, I definitely don’t make the best money, but these were well worth the saving.” 

“Wait, how long were you saving?” Alicia asked. 

“Like… 6 months?” Leonie said with a shrug. 

“You were planning to marry Ingrid after a year and a half?!” Alicia asked, incredulous. 

“Believe me, ma’am, for women like us that’s considered taking it slow. Besides, your daughter… she and Marianne both mean a lot to me, and I’ve learned when you care about something, you shouldn’t let it go. My step dad ended up dying when me and my big sister Byleth were in highschool… and he always said it’s important not to let a good woman go when you know.” Leonie said, letting her hand move up to the worn wooden charm around her throat.

“Well… he certainly sounds like a smart man. And, if it’s blessing you’re looking for, consider it yours.” Alicia said. 

“Wait, you’re serious?” Leonie asked, eyes going wide as she saw the woman nod. 

“I am. Even when she left last time, I’ve never seen Ingrid so able to stand up for herself, and she’s clearly happy with the both of you. So just… please take care of her?” 

“Of, of course, ma’am!” Leonie said, a smile absolutely erupting on her face. She was about to turn and speed after her partners, when she thought to add one last thing. “And… you know Ingrid talks about you a lot. I can tell she misses you more than… others. I can’t say anything for her, but if I were you, I think giving it a few weeks and then asking if she wants to get coffee, just the two of you, might be a better route then, well, tonight.” 

“I… I’ll think about that. Thank you. Now, go, before Ingrid does something stupid.” 

“Oh believe me, i’m not gonna be any help there.” Ingrid said, speeding down the sidewalk. Alicia remained in place for a few seconds, rather dumbstruck. 

“Why… why did she think that was a good thing to say in response to that? I… Ok, a question for another time.” 

Soon enough, Leonie appeared in the parking garage, saying some vague off-hand comment about getting lost, and they made their way home. Leonie took responsibility for helping calm Marianne down as Ingrid took the wheel, and soon enough they were home, crawling up the stairs and into their shared bedroom. They all began doing their nightly routines as they prepared for bed, with Leonie Inrid already in a baggy tshirt and pajama pants brushing her teeth in front of the mirror by the time Marianne began changing into a nightgown. However, when Ingrid walked out of the bathroom, she could see Marianne staring at herself in the mirror, picking apart her own reflection with a razor’s edge. 

“Marianne, honeybunny it’s ok.” Ingrid whispered into Marianne’s ear as she wrapped her in a hug, placing a soft kiss on her shoulder. 

“I… I just… My stupid voice, I knew something was going to go wrong. I-” 

“Don’t let him get to you. He’s an idiot, and not worth the energy. You’re a beautiful, wonderful woman, and if he can’t see that then clearly he’s as blind as he is vile.” Ingrid whispered on, squeezing her arms tight around Marianne’s core.

“I…” Marianne looked about ready to protest, but chewed her lip for a second and leaned back into Ingrid. “I love you. The both of you.” Marianne said, gesturing vaguely to Leonie as well, who was just walking in, in nothing but her boxer shorts and a sports bra. 

“Awe, you two are too cute for your own good.” Leonie half-yawned as she wrapped the both of them in a hug. 

Ingrid stayed there, Marianne in her arms as she was in Leonie’s, and between the scent of ever-lingering motor oil emanating for Leonie, and the lilac wafting off of Marianne, even in the haze of an awful night, Ingrid felt like she was somewhere she could call home. Because to her, no matter where she was, what her situation, as long as she had those two by her side, she would always be home. Because they were her home, they were her family, even in their own strange little way. 

And at that moment, Ingrid settled on something quite resolutely. The only question was how to get Leonie and Marianne’s ring sizes without them realizing.

**Author's Note:**

> A little more angst then I originally planned, but you know what, I'm excited! Also, expect a second chapter where I show the actual proposal in the next week or so. 
> 
> Again, if you enjoyed this, check out my other stuff, as I write a LOT of polyships in my current project. Also, check me out on twitter, @dressthesage


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